To understand the scope and nature of identity theft, statistics and studies can be helpful. Keep in mind that the number of identity theft complaints that agencies or organizations receive does not indicate the rate of identity theft. Complaint numbers may rise or fall because the percentage of identity theft victims who report their problems to particular agencies or organizations has changed, not necessarily because there are more or fewer victims. Surveys provide better information about the rate of identity theft.

The California Attorney General’s Office issues studies and reports on
data breaches and other subjects related to identity theft.

The Report on Child Identity Theft from the Carnegie Mellon University CyLab describes how identity thieves are targeting children for unused Social Security numbers. A 2012
Child Identity Fraud Report sponsored by the nonprofit Identity Theft
Assistance Center provides data on the frequency, sources and consequences
of child identity theft.